We always try to put out the alert when one of the area's great cheesemongers is cutting a great wheel of a favorite cheese. This time, it's Pecorino di Pienza Gran Riserva from Formaggio Kitchen South End.
Penny stopped in to ask Julie Cappellano, the General Manager and Wine Buyer, for some information about a champagne we are seeking for an upcoming sparkler of the month.
After Julie gave her the happy news that it would be arriving soon, she helped Penny select a sheepy cheese and then recommended a wine to match with it.
The Formaggio sign says it all. We are fans of ewe's milk cheeses. We even love the stronger ones that offer a punch of flavor. This cheese is one we can happily share with friends who would shy away from some of the more pungent pecorinos. It is a happy balance of sheep's milk flavor without being overpowering.
Get over to the shop while they have this lovely cheese in stock. It's worth the price.
What's on your Cheese shopping list? Here are some great books about cheese. These make wonderful gifts for a cheese lover. And, when you shop Amazon from here, they put some coins in our tip jar.
We always try to put out the alert when one of the area's great cheesemongers is cutting a great wheel of a favorite cheese. This time, it's Pecorino di Pienza Gran Riserva from Formaggio Kitchen South End.
Penny stopped in to ask Julie Cappellano, the General Manager and Wine Buyer, for some information about a champagne we are seeking for an upcoming sparkler of the month.
After Julie gave her the happy news that it would be arriving soon, she helped Penny select a sheepy cheese and then recommended a wine to match with it.
The Formaggio sign says it all. We are fans of ewe's milk cheeses. We even love the stronger ones that offer a punch of flavor. This cheese is one we can happily share with friends who would shy away from some of the more pungent pecorinos. It is a happy balance of sheep's milk flavor without being overpowering.
Get over to the shop while they have this lovely cheese in stock. It's worth the price.
What's on your Cheese shopping list? Here are some great books about cheese. These make wonderful gifts for a cheese lover. And, when you shop Amazon from here, they put some coins in our tip jar.
As you may have noticed our little Westie, Duchess Poppy Whitehead, can be a bossy little bit.
In part, that's because she was named after "Duchess Poppy" a very eccentric character in E.F Benson's Mapp and Lucia novels. (She's also named for the "POP" of the cork when we open a bottle of sparkling wine.)
After discovering this wonderful podium in Pemberton Square, we couldn't resist letting Poppy have a few moments to address the people as they passed by.
Never fear, she was not up there by herself. Ed was hiding right below ready to grab her in case she forgot where she was in her excitement of her address to the masses.
While we took this photo in fun, we are doing some serious research on this piece of public art for a feature article. Watch for more about that in an upcoming post.
Get to know all of our Sunday Dogs at Boston Dogs.
Thanks to everyone who Hops over to Amazon from here to do their shopping. We appreciate your support.
As you may have noticed our little Westie, Duchess Poppy Whitehead, can be a bossy little bit.
In part, that's because she was named after "Duchess Poppy" a very eccentric character in E.F Benson's Mapp and Lucia novels. (She's also named for the "POP" of the cork when we open a bottle of sparkling wine.)
After discovering this wonderful podium in Pemberton Square, we couldn't resist letting Poppy have a few moments to address the people as they passed by.
Never fear, she was not up there by herself. Ed was hiding right below ready to grab her in case she forgot where she was in her excitement of her address to the masses.
While we took this photo in fun, we are doing some serious research on this piece of public art for a feature article. Watch for more about that in an upcoming post.
Get to know all of our Sunday Dogs at Boston Dogs.
Thanks to everyone who Hops over to Amazon from here to do their shopping. We appreciate your support.
Here's an updated (on 09/18/17) rundown of what's open and closed in Boston on Columbus Day and changes to MBTA schedules for October 9, 2017. Should additional information become available, we'll also update you on parking, street sweeping, traffic alerts, road closures, parades, and trash collection.
A few items are highlighted in yellow because the updated information has not been published as of yet. Follow us on Twitter or bookmark this page and return to check for more updates.
We feature these reminders before each holiday to help our readers make plans and then feature the information on the holiday. This is a permanent resource page that will be updated annually.
This is one of those holidays when, for a lot of people, it's "business as usual." Even the stock market is open. But, if you have the day off, you might enjoy a visit to Opening Our Doors 2017 in the Fenway Cultural District.
What's Open?
Restaurants, bars: Open
Convenience stores: Open
Supermarkets: Open
Retail stores: Are allowed to open if the owners choose
Liquor stores: Open
City, Town, State and Federal offices and facilities are closed: This includes Schools, Libraries, and the Postal Service (express mail will be delivered). Only emergency services are available.
Financial Services: As the British would say, this is a Bank Holiday with most Banks closed. But each year more banks decide to keep a few branches open. Check with your own bank.
Stock market: Open, as are international markets.
Boston Parking:City website says, "Free parking at all city meters. All other rules apply.
Street Sweeping:City website says, "On City holidays, we suspend street sweeping during the day, but we still sweep streets at night."
Boston Trash Collection:
The city of Boston no longer provides a simple paragraph that explains the trash schedule. Now everyone has to go to this page and enter their address in a box to find out when their trash will be picked up during holiday weeks.
Traffic Alerts/Road Closures: More will be added as we find them:
The MBTA schedule changes for Columbus Day, Monday, October 9, 2017, has not been published. The new website does not have a link to find that information. ( We did send a request for an update to the T. We never received a reply.)
Last year the system ran pretty much on a Weekday Schedule.
Here's an updated (on 09/18/17) rundown of what's open and closed in Boston on Columbus Day and changes to MBTA schedules for October 9, 2017. Should additional information become available, we'll also update you on parking, street sweeping, traffic alerts, road closures, parades, and trash collection.
A few items are highlighted in yellow because the updated information has not been published as of yet. Follow us on Twitter or bookmark this page and return to check for more updates.
We feature these reminders before each holiday to help our readers make plans and then feature the information on the holiday. This is a permanent resource page that will be updated annually.
This is one of those holidays when, for a lot of people, it's "business as usual." Even the stock market is open. But, if you have the day off, you might enjoy a visit to Opening Our Doors 2017 in the Fenway Cultural District.
What's Open?
Restaurants, bars: Open
Convenience stores: Open
Supermarkets: Open
Retail stores: Are allowed to open if the owners choose
Liquor stores: Open
City, Town, State and Federal offices and facilities are closed: This includes Schools, Libraries, and the Postal Service (express mail will be delivered). Only emergency services are available.
Financial Services: As the British would say, this is a Bank Holiday with most Banks closed. But each year more banks decide to keep a few branches open. Check with your own bank.
Stock market: Open, as are international markets.
Boston Parking:City website says, "Free parking at all city meters. All other rules apply.
Street Sweeping:City website says, "On City holidays, we suspend street sweeping during the day, but we still sweep streets at night."
Boston Trash Collection:
The city of Boston no longer provides a simple paragraph that explains the trash schedule. Now everyone has to go to this page and enter their address in a box to find out when their trash will be picked up during holiday weeks.
Traffic Alerts/Road Closures: More will be added as we find them:
The MBTA schedule changes for Columbus Day, Monday, October 9, 2017, has not been published. The new website does not have a link to find that information. ( We did send a request for an update to the T. We never received a reply.)
Last year the system ran pretty much on a Weekday Schedule.
Our recommended sparkling wine for October 1st is Alice "Tajad" Glera. We met this delightful prosecco at Coppa Enoteca in the South End. It's been on the menu for a while and we've enjoyed it on our past few visits. Please join us as we toast a Happy New Month!
\
It is the perfect sip for a lazy afternoon on the patio. And, it's a great selection to match the Coppa menu.
We enjoyed it with a variety of dishes from a plate of mixed crostini to the semolina pasta with Ligurian veal ragu and salsa verde.
A beautiful glass of bubbles adds a touch of festive to any meal.
If you are joining our Sparkling Resolution and have decided to start each month with a glass of sparkling wine, we highly recommend a trip to Coppa. You can toast the new month with a glass of Alice and some wonderful small plates. It's one of our favorite ways to spend any afternoon!
Alice note from the importer:
"Tajad means “blend” in local Veneto dialect, and this kind of blend of local varieties used to be the daily drinker in the Veneto. Tasting it makes one question the wisdom of abandoning those antique varieties for a single-minded, conformist focus on Glera. (Wine now must be at least 85% Glera to be labeled Prosecco.) Tajad shows a little spiciness, a touch of rusticity, and a lot of character. It makes you wish you could be standing at Nonna Alice’s bar, asking her for another glass."
Our recommended sparkling wine for October 1st is Alice "Tajad" Glera. We met this delightful prosecco at Coppa Enoteca in the South End. It's been on the menu for a while and we've enjoyed it on our past few visits. Please join us as we toast a Happy New Month!
\
It is the perfect sip for a lazy afternoon on the patio. And, it's a great selection to match the Coppa menu.
We enjoyed it with a variety of dishes from a plate of mixed crostini to the semolina pasta with Ligurian veal ragu and salsa verde.
A beautiful glass of bubbles adds a touch of festive to any meal.
If you are joining our Sparkling Resolution and have decided to start each month with a glass of sparkling wine, we highly recommend a trip to Coppa. You can toast the new month with a glass of Alice and some wonderful small plates. It's one of our favorite ways to spend any afternoon!
Alice note from the importer:
"Tajad means “blend” in local Veneto dialect, and this kind of blend of local varieties used to be the daily drinker in the Veneto. Tasting it makes one question the wisdom of abandoning those antique varieties for a single-minded, conformist focus on Glera. (Wine now must be at least 85% Glera to be labeled Prosecco.) Tajad shows a little spiciness, a touch of rusticity, and a lot of character. It makes you wish you could be standing at Nonna Alice’s bar, asking her for another glass."
As we stroll around the city, we often see workers cleaning windows. And, so it was one day last week.
Two men on their swings cleaning windows above us on the sidewalk.
Until one of them, with a sense of fun, noticed Penny's camera. He gave a wave but couldn't resist showing what he could do.
He gave a mighty push and sailed over to the street tree behind him. Of course, Penny couldn't resist taking his picture as he reached the tree, even if it meant shooting straight into the sun.
You never know when a bit of fun may come your way on a walk through Boston.
Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!
We met little Sherlock, a dashing poodle mix, at a sidewalk cafe that will remain unnamed to protect it from the dog haters.
He and the gentleman with him were about to leave an ideal table where a good dog could sit on the sidewalk while the human half of the team could dine at a table.
At six months old, Sherlock or Sherlock Bones, as some of his friends and fans call him, has already learned that the primary task of a great cafe dog is to charm all the people around you. He even offered his paws to Penny for a dance. She was completely smitten with this fellow.
He was still getting a few gentle sit reminders from the other half of the cafe team but, before long, we were sure that touch would be replaced by a hand signal to cue this poodle-smart pup to park his hind end on the bricks.
When little Prince Charming realized that we were hoping to slip into his table, he tugged his person toward a nearby park.
Thanks Sherlock! We hope you had a nice walk and perhaps a bit of puppy play while we were enjoying lunch. We look forward to running into you again.
Get to know all of our Sunday Dogs at Boston Dogs.
Thanks to everyone who Hops over to Amazon from here to do their shopping. We appreciate your support.
novels. (She's also named for the "POP" of the cork when we open a bottle of sparkling wine.)
from here to do their shopping. We appreciate your support.
